Recruiting in China

Welcome back. We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.

We know it can be a struggle to get back into the swing of things after the long weekend, piles of turkey, and various slices of pie, but there¡¯s a topic we think is worth talking about today that doesn¡¯t have anything to do with food or football: Candidate Comparison.

Now, most think of candidate comparison as a problem for hiring managers or recruiters. It¡¯s something that those groups have to go through in order to find the right person for a job. That¡¯s true. But we¡¯re talking about candidate comparison from the candidate point of view. We¡¯re taking the old ¡°what does that person have that I don¡¯t have?¡± approach to things today. This question shouldn¡¯t be one that¡¯s asked simply out of frustration. It should be asked to help you improve your chances of getting the next job you apply for.

After all, knowing what you¡¯re up against can give you an edge:

¡°Who¡¯s the competition? If possible, determine how desperate is the employer to fill in the position, how many other candidates are being considered and how you measure up to them.¡±

OK. So how do you get to know the competition? Well, some suggest that in this ¡°candidate friendly¡± job market, you can simply ask the interviewer:

¡°Here are some questions that applicants may ask recruiters, managers,
HR pros, and others. Some of them you may start hearing more often as
the balance of power continues to tilt toward employees¡­

¡°How do I compare with the other candidates you have
interviewed?¡±

Some would suggest that bringing up other candidates in an interview isn¡¯t a good idea, as it takes the focus off of you. Others would suggest that even if you do ask the question you¡¯re not going to get a thorough response.

No, there has to be a better way; one that allows you to see how you stack up against other folks out there. You should also be able to see a breakdown of what a company is looking for, and how you compare in each category. Even a simple breakdown would let you say ¡°hey, I¡¯m lacking in experience, but my skill set ranks at the top.¡± Of course, a system that allowed you to perform in depth comparisons would give you a better idea of what you can do to increase your chances of getting your dream job or to up your market value.

¡°Candidate Comparison¡± for the benefit of the candidate is crucial, and we¡¯ll make sure candidates can take advantage of it soon.